Gaming

Game Design Theory

Video: Loom creator Brian Moriarty seeks out the essence of good game design
[Note: To access chapter selection, click the fullscreen button or check out the video on the GDC Vault website] Brian Moriarty, the renowned Infocom and LucasArts veteran behind adventure games like Beyond Zork and Loom, believes that coding lies at the very core of good game design. Sure, understanding theory helps, but if you really want to make good games, he argues that you might want to learn a programming language or two. At the GDC Education Summit during this year's Game Developers Conference, Moriarty -- now a professor at Worchester Polytechnic Institute -- outlined how his course teaches students about game design, and it all begins with understanding how games work. Moriarty began his career in the industry as a programmer, and to him, that's what game design is. "I decided that the fundamental activity for my students ought to be, must be...expressing game ideas in code."

Book Recommendations: Game Design Books: Articles about Gameplay Mechanics Discussions Rules For Games: Do & Don’t Platformer Design Videos How To Not Suck At Game Design Genre Game Polish User Interface Design Video Game User Interface Design: Diegesis Theory (DevMag) Difficulty Game Design Documents Game Design Concepts (Ian Schreiber) What Is Game Design Concepts? Game Balance Concepts (Ian Schreiber) Game Length Character Design Level Design VGMaps (huge amount of screenshots of entire levels from hundreds of games. Artificial Intelligence Prototyping Sandbox & Open World Design Popularity Game Accessibility Free Books Uncategorized Articles Game Development Sites
The Big List Of Game Design

Game Design Concepts | An experiment in game design and teaching

Blizzard Entertainment

Video games

MMORPG Center - News, Reviews, Videos and Rants

Choose Language | BioWare Social Network

io Games List: Top 25 Online Multiplayer .io Games

Wargame_[space] | Thinking about history, writing about games

What will the next generation of serious games look like? What are the key trends and drivers? In what fields of application will serious games have the biggest impact? Triggered by these kinds of questions the Dutch Study Centre for Technology Trends (STT – Stichting Toekomstbeeld der Techniek) organized a study on the future of serious gaming. In the period 2009 – 2011 STT projectmanager Jacco van Uden organized the foresight study Serious Gaming. The aim of the study was to develop inspirational perspectives on (digital) games that offer more than just entertainment. Dozens of experts, interested parties and stakeholders have contributed to the project. The results of the study have now been published and can be found here:The Position Paper (in Dutch)The publication Serious Games, Playful Business about games and managementThe publication Play On about games and seniorsThe publication Serious Gaming: Future Horizons with the most important overall conclusions of the study
Study on the future of Serious Gaming | ECIA

Trace Effects
A video game for learning American English and culture Notice: We are aware there is an issue with advancing levels within Trace Effects. We are working to fix it as soon as possible. In the meantime, we can advance you individually if you send us your Trace Effects username to americanenglish@state.gov. Thank you for your patience. This innovative language learning video game will complement students’ classroom English language instruction through interactive 3-D multimedia learning adventures. Gamers interact and solve puzzles in a virtual world filled with diverse English-speaking characters. Play Trace Effects » Who is Trace? Game Themes Geared toward young people, Trace Effects exposes users to American society and explores themes related to entrepreneurship, community activism, empowering women, science and innovation,environmental conservation, and conflict resolution. Game Features Play Game »

I am thrilled to have Rebecca from ThirteenRedShoes back with us today. She has a great list of app recommendations for the young scientists in our lives. Mariah asked me to put together a post on science apps available for children. Here are some great new apps that I have encountered recently. Please do leave the links to new applications in the area of science that you have found, as I would love to see more. This is an area that Master R loves and therefore we are always on the look out for new and engaging applications. Here are my top science finds for little ones ages four and above: Planets – This application, which is universal, therefore available for both iPhone and iPad, is very clever. Make sure to check out Rebecca’s other app recommendations in the posts below (click on the photo)… The name Thirteen Red Shoes came about a few years ago when Rebecca needed a business name quickly for some tutoring she was doing. Know someone else who would enjoy this activity?
9 Apps for Young Scientists · Playful Learning

rkboard Connections: Move to Learn in Science!
Brain research supports the need for students to get plenty of movement throughout the day - but that's something every teacher knows! In Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Eric Jensen states, "Brain-compatible learning means that educators should weave math, movement, geography, social skills, role play, science, and physical education together." I completely agree, and that's why I enjoyed using simulations and role-playing games in my classroom. One day my students were stuck inside due to the winter weather, and I made up a game where the kids pretended to be molecules and they moved according to the changes in states of matter. Solids - Molecules are tightly packed and move slowly, staying in a rigid formation. Here's a simple visual I found online: States of Matter Game To start the game, I asked everyone to stand up, find a spot on the floor, and then move as I guided them through the states of matter.

No matter what middle school science lesson you're teaching, there's a game for it on the Legends of Learning platform. Each of the 90 different learning objectives for Earth and Space, Life, and Physical Sciences lessons already has or will soon have 10 games. There are no obligations, and you get $300 worth of complimentary games to start. With 900 games, we can say with confidence that there's a game for every lesson. Every game makes mundane tasks like test review easy and even fun. The games are designed to fit within a conventional class period, so they're easy to incorporate into your lesson plans. We know it can be hard to visualize 90 learning objectives. As a bonus, teachers who launch a playlist and use the games in class earn their own Legends of Learning cape.
A Game for Every Lesson - Legends of Learning

GAMES & GAMING

100 useful links to help you in creating your own game or application. Click here Want to find out how to receive funding for your game or application? Click here Here's some game design tips aimed specifically for youths 7-13. Click here For some programs to help you get started building an application.
ESA LOFT Innovation | Resources

Math games

Welcome to Math Playground. Play with numbers and give your brain a workout!

Fun Kids Online Math Games
"Sheppard offers everything from early math to pre-algebra. The lessons include interactive activities to practice concepts. Students can shoot fruit, pop balloons, and even play math man (the math version of pac man!). Fractions, place value, money, and basic operations are some of the areas that are covered. Check it out at " --Shannon Jakeman , sjakeman.blogspot.com "Online math games, like the ones that you'll find for free at Sheppard Software, provide a valuable opportunity for children to learn a great deal while they're having fun. It can be very difficult for parents to find productive and worthwhile activities for children on the Internet; however fun online math games do offer a wonderful alternative. This free section of Sheppard Software was written for children. Sheppard Software offers a couple of cute games for the youngest math students. For slightly older kids, there are a number of very popular arcade-style "popup" math games.

ESL Beginner and Elementary Online Games and Activities
ESL Powerpoint (PPT) Games If you are the type of person who prefers to have games on powerpoint or as printable handouts, we have been thinking of you. We offer board games, powerpoint games and more for the classroom and one to one teaching. They have made my lessons fun and I have no doubt yours will be fun too. Added to the good news are the templates we offer that you can use to create customized games for your classroom and teaching. It is total fun and highly engaging fun lessons with these resources. Printable ESL Board and Card Games We offer a variety of printable ESL board games and card games to help give your students lots of communicative practice. ESL Board & Powerpoint Games Templates ESL Game Templates - Powerpoint and Word Game Templates On ESL Games World we do not only aim at providing you with games for your classrooms. Classroom Tools - Click Here! Get some cool tools for use in your classroom.

Language Arts Games - Grammar, Punctuation, Capitalization, Vocabulary
Sheppard Software's Language Arts page features a variety of games for different grade levels. Elementary students (and anyone who needs a refresher) can play the animated grammar and punctuation games, which review basic punctuation and grammar concepts. This section is continually being refined and expanded, so check back often! Middle school, high school, and adult learners can review their SAT and advanced vocabulary through the SAT Words and Vocabulary in Context games.